Santa Cruz council to consider bringing back police hiring bonuses

SANTA CRUZ -- In response to an uptick in violence and other crime, the City Council on Tuesday will consider reinstating and increasing a hiring and recruiting incentive for new police officers.

Police and city human resources officials have recommended the council approve quadrupling a previous bonus paid to officers from other agencies who agree to make a lateral move to the Santa Cruz force. Under the plan, lateral officers would be offered $20,000, up from $5,000 offered until 2011, when a previous program was halted due to the city's poor financial shape.

Incentives for officer trainees and non-sworn community service officers are also recommended for an increase over previous bonuses. The incentives would be doubled from $5,000 to $10,000 for officer trainees and $2,500 to $5,000 for community service officers.

Officers would receive the bonuses in thirds as they completed benchmarks for training, probation and their second anniversary on the force. Trainees and lateral officers also would be eligible to receive up to $5,000 for earning a college degree.

The recommendation to revive the program comes as the Police Department suffers from persistent vacancies -- presently at nine, or 10 percent of the department's 94 budgeted positions for sworn officers. That figure includes vacancies created when Sgt. Loran "Butch" Baker and fellow detective Elizabeth Butler were gunned down by a sexual-assault suspect six weeks ago -- the city's first officer deaths in the line of duty.

"We were struggling with vacancies even before Butch and Elizabeth were murdered," Mayor Hilary Bryant said. "Even more so now, it's critical we get staffing levels back up, in particular with officers who are already trained."

The force has shrunk in recent years due to retirements or other departures. Although Santa Cruz launched the incentive program in 2007 when the economy was better, city officials say it is still difficult to hire lateral cops from other agencies because of Santa Cruz's high cost of living.

The new program includes a $5,000 bonus for city employees who recruit police officers or $2,500 for community service officers -- a 50-percent reduction from previous incentives. Police Chief Kevin Vogel said the revamped program is focused on paying higher bonuses directly to officers.

"The last time we had the incentive in place was the last time the Police Department was fully staffed," he said. "It worked the last time, but I felt like we had things backwards."

HIRING more

Also Tuesday, the council will consider allowing Vogel to hire five more officers than budgeted in order to prepare for future vacancies. A police officer's monthly salary ranges from $5,665 to $8,369 depending on experience, education and other factors.

The department recently welcomed a recruit from the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office, and Vogel said he has made conditional offers to four other recruits who need to pass medical and psychological exams. Vogel said he hopes the proposed incentives and over-hiring will help the department be fully staffed by the end of 2013, though finances haven't been his sole obstacle.

"The whole idea behind the incentive is to fill our department with the brightest, best, most talented police officer candidates that are out there," Vogel said. "We have faced significant challenges hiring people we feel are a good fit for the Santa Cruz community."

Vogel said that means officers who understand the city's defining characteristics, not officers who will be soft on crime.

"I have no intention of modifying my hiring standards," Vogel said. "I am looking for people who are going to enforce the law and treat people fairly, but I'm not looking for somebody who might subscribe to a large-city style of policing."

Vogel said officers need to understand Santa Cruz is a diverse university town with a strong tourist economy and civilian oversight of the force through an independent police auditor. The city also has a voter-approved rule that makes marijuana possession and a high population of transients and people with mental health issues.

SAFETY TASK FORCE

Tuesday, Mayor Bryant will seek council approval for appointees to her public safety task force, which will take six months to study causes of current crime trends -- such as gun violence, discarded drug needles and robberies -- and make recommendations for solutions.

Community groups have been at odds about approaches to reducing crime, with some calling for tougher penalties and cuts to social services while others urge a deeper look at root causes of homelessness, drug addiction and physical violence.

In selecting 15 appointees from more than 120 applicants, Bryant said she sought to strike a balance with gender, neighborhood affiliation and professional backgrounds that include educators, public safety experts, business leaders and social service providers.

Among those recommended for appointment is Carolyn Coleman, executive director of Santa Cruz Community Counseling Center, who said she looks forward to the panel taking a "studied approach and looking at best practices and other community models."

Coleman is a 30-year resident whose husband, Curt, retired as principal of a school near the site where the fatal officer shootings took place Feb. 26.

"Considering what the community has gone through," Coleman said, "I'm glad the council moved to create such a group."